


Hide and Seek

by The_Azkaban_Dreamer



Series: The Childhood of Scorpius Malfoy [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Goblins, Gringotts Bank, HP Next Gen, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:29:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29733921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Azkaban_Dreamer/pseuds/The_Azkaban_Dreamer
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy visits Gringotts Bank for the first time and meets someone his own age to play with.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Series: The Childhood of Scorpius Malfoy [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1147907
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	Hide and Seek

Scorpius always wanted to go to London ever since he had read about the capital in his history books; It was a city so rich in history and he was entranced by it.

He had begged his parents to take him to London but for some reason, his father was reluctant to go.

But finally, he was going. His father said that he had business to do at Gringotts Bank and Scorpius had asked Draco if he could go with him. Scorpius's mother suggested that they make it a day out together.

Scorpius asked if they could visit Muggle London as well much to his mother's delight, so the Malfoys ended up visiting the many famous landmarks of London where Astoria took many photographs of a beaming Scorpius standing in front of them.

Scorpius noted, however, that his father looked uneasy when they were out in Muggle London. He supposed that it was because of all of the Muggle cars and busses and the city was heaving with people, many of them taking photos.

Draco looked a lot calmer once they reached the Leakey Cauldron and they went out to the courtyard at the back of the pub where he took out his wand and tapped one of the bricks with it.

Scorpius got a shock when the bricks parted revealing to Scorpius for the first time in his life; Diagon Alley.

He had seen many photographs of the famous street, but that didn't prepare him for the hustle and bustle of many witches and wizards going about their business.

He wished he could stop and watch it all but his father was in a hurry and didn't have time to look at the shops. Astoria mentioned getting something at the Apothecary and his father said he needed to get to Gringotts.

* * *

Scorpius never forgot the moment he saw the snowy building; It towered above all other buildings in Diagon Alley and he let out a cry of wonder.

"It is rather majestic, isn't it Scorpius?" Draco said, putting a hand on Scorpius's shoulder.

"Is it true that there are _Dragons_ inside the bank?" Scorpius asked eagerly and Draco hesitated, a peculiar look on his face.

"There used to be," he said slowly. "But not anymore."

"Oh, okay," Scorpius said, feeling slightly disappointed. "It would've been nice to see a dragon though because I've read so much about them in that book that Mum got me for Christmas. Do you think that Gringotts had Hungarian Horntails guarding the vaults? Because they're the most vicious dragons. Sometimes I think-"

"Listen, Scorpius," Draco said, cutting Scorpius off. "We're not going down to our vault. I have some business to do at one of the counters. You are not to wander off whilst we're in there. Can you do that for me?"

"Okay, daddy," Scorpius said happily and Draco smiled and squeezed his shoulder.

As Draco and Scorpius got closer to the snowy building, Scorpius saw two smartly dressed creatures standing by the entrance. He had read about them and froze, staring at them in wonder.

One of the creatures noticed him staring at them and gave him a sharp look which took Scorpius by surprise. He hid behind his father's leg and poked his head out to look at the creature.

"Daddy?" Scorpius asked, tugging at Draco's cloak. "Are they who I think they are?"

"Yes, Scorpius," Draco said gently. "Goblins. They're the ones who look after our gold."

Scorpius continued to stare at the Goblin from behind Draco's legs and the Goblin nodded at Scorpius and gave him a small smile. Scorpius returned the smile with a brilliant beam which took the Goblin by surprise.

He felt a lot braver as he entered the bank. Draco ushered him through two pairs of doors and once inside, Scorpius let out another cry of wonder.

He was greeted by a big hall that was full of tables and counters. There were more Goblins behind the counters and they were seeing to various wizards and witches and Scorpius saw a Goblin lead several wizards down a torch-lit passageway.

Scorpius followed Draco down the hall and he wished he had eyes in the back of his head; Everywhere he turned, there was gold being counted and various jewels being examined.

They passed a counter where a scraggy, ginger-haired man was arguing with a Goblin.

"We are very good at identifying Leprechaun Gold, Fletcher," the Goblin said smartly. "We don't like being made fools of."

Draco and Scorpius stopped to look at the man. Scorpius didn't like the look of him; There was a strange, smoky smell hanging about the man that made Scorpius wrinkle his nose.

"Wait a minute, I can explain," the man called Fletcher said hastily. "It was that old mucker Warty. See, I meant to give 'im the Leprechaun Gold and you the ordinary gold. 'e must've taken the wrong gold. You know I would _never_ lie to you."

"Then how do you explain the incident the other month when you claimed to have in your possession a suit of Goblin made armour?" the Goblin asked swiftly.

"It _was_ Goblin made," Fletcher said. "I've even got a Goblin made teaspoon. It's been in me family for years and I've stirred me tea with it for as long as I can remember. I hate to let it go, but a big pot of gold might help drown me sorrows away."

Fletcher took a grubby teaspoon out of his pocket and put it on the counter. The Goblin picked it up and examined it with its long fingers.

"Do you take me for a fool?" the Goblin asked sharply. "I know Goblin made Silverware when I see it and this ' _spoon'_ was not made by any Goblin I know."

"Maybe you don't get out much," Fletcher said.

"You have tried our patience time and time again," the Goblin said. "I have more pressing matters to attend to."

The Goblin pressed a button behind the counter and Fletcher jumped back, drawing his wand.

"Now 'ang on a minute," Fletcher said, waving his wand threateningly at the Goblin. "So a man makes a mistake in identifying a piece of Goblin made Silverware. You can't go kicking 'im out of Gringotts for that. I know my rights."

"I can for wasting my time," the Goblin said swiftly.

"Daddy?" Scorpius whispered, giving Draco's cloak a gentle tug. "What's happening?"

"Just someone trying to trick a Goblin, Scorpius," Draco said gently. "It's best not to watch."

Draco moved to block Scorpius's view of the counter as four human security guards burst out of a torch-lit passageway.

Scorpius heard curses being shouted and saw the four security guards carrying Fletcher out of the bank. Fletcher was stiff and not moving at all.

"Daddy, I think he's dead," Scorpius said worriedly.

"It's okay, Scorpius," Draco said comfortingly. "It was only the full body bind curse. I remember using that at School."

Scorpius felt shaken, but Draco put a comforting hand on his shoulder and kneeled so that his face was level with Scorpius's.

" _Never_ try to deceive a Goblin, Scorpius," Draco said. "They are smart creatures and only fools would get on their bad side. Treat them with respect, and you will go a long way."

Scorpius nodded, although he still felt a little bit shaken after seeing the man called Fletcher being carried out of the bank.

"Such important advice for a first time visitor," the Goblin said, clearly listening in. "You sir, are a fine father."

Draco's cheeks briefly flushed pink and he stood up and approached the Goblin.

"I need to do business with you," he said curtly and the Goblin nodded.

"Of course," the Goblin said. "I'm sure that you will be a far better customer than Mundungus Fletcher. He's always coming here trying to cheat us. I regret that I lost my patience with him. Especially in front of your son."

The Goblin gave Scorpius an apologetic look and Scorpius felt braver as he looked up at the Goblin.

"I'm Draco Malfoy and this is my son, Scorpius," Draco said.

"Hello!" Scorpius said brightly, giving the Goblin a big smile and a wave.

"A pleasure," the Goblin said. "I am Kragor. To what do I owe this visit to Gringotts, Draco Malfoy?"

Draco pulled a large bag out of his pocket, along with several rolls of parchment.

"I have several assets that I need put away in the Malfoy vault and there is the matter of the debt that my ancestor, Victivus Malfoy owed back in 1865. I've decided that it's time that we're going to pay the debt back in full."

"You have my complete attention," Kragor said sharply.

Scorpius didn't pay attention to the conversation; He was too busy looking around the hall, watching the various interactions between wizards and Goblins.

He watched coins being counted, emeralds being weighed and observed a group of four Goblins take a large chest down one of the torch-lit passageways. Scorpius saw a couple of large gold coins fall out of it.

If only he could wander off and explore the place properly, but he promised his father that he would stay by his side and he wasn't going to break his promise.

Instead, he watched a family at the counter opposite Scorpius.

A woman with flaming red hair was talking to the Goblin who was presenting a large piece of parchment to a teenage boy with turquoise hair - Scorpius had never seen hair that colour before.

The woman had her hand on the teenage boy's shoulder and would nod every time the Goblin would finish speaking.

Standing apart from them, was a boy the same age as Scorpius.

He had messy jet-black hair, a thin, kind face and even though Scorpius was at a distance, he could still see the boy's bright green eyes that shone like the emeralds that Scorpius saw being weighed.

Scorpius felt as if he should know the boy somehow – he looked oddly familiar – but the excitement of being in Gringotts seemed to drive it from his mind.

The boy was also looking around the bank and little did Scorpius know, he caught the boy's attention. After he looked to the spot where the boy was standing, he saw that the boy had disappeared.

Scorpius frowned and blinked; Where did the boy go? He looked around for the boy and found his head sticking behind a pillar a few feet away from his mother, grinning at Scorpius.

Scorpius giggled and spotted a man carrying a large chest full of gold. As the boy darted from the pillar, Scorpius used the man with the chest as a cover so that he could hide behind the nearest pillar from his dad.

He looked around the pillar to see the boy looking around confusedly to see where Scorpius had gone.

Scorpius stuck a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter, however, he felt a pair of eyes on him and he looked up to see the boy grinning at him again.

They darted from pillar to pillar and Scorpius noted that this was the first time that he was able to play with someone his age and he was having the time of his life. But all things come to an end.

* * *

At the counter, Draco had finished doing business with Kragor the Goblin and once the ink had dried and they shook hands, Draco was ready.

"Come on, Scorpius," Draco said, beckoning to Scorpius.

Scorpius was hiding behind the nearest pillar and gave the boy an apologetic smile before following Draco.

Draco saw the boy and gave him a shrewd look which the boy faltered under. However, Draco's face softened and he gave the boy a small smile and a curt nod before turning on his heel and striding out of the bank, his black cloak billowing behind him.

"Bye!" Scorpius called to the boy and he ran after Draco.

"It's nice to see you making a friend," Draco said quietly. "Now, let's go find your mother and stop her from buying the Apothecary. You've been very good today. Shall we get an ice cream?"

"I'd love an ice cream, daddy!" Scorpius said excitedly. "Can I have two scoops instead of one? With lots of sauce and sprinkles and a big cherry on the top? Oh, and a wafer! I like wafers because I get to scoop up the ice cream."

"I don't see why not," Draco said. "Because you've been so good for me, I'll take you down to the vault the next time we visit Gringotts."

"Really?" Scorpius asked. "We get to go on the really fast cart? I've _always_ wanted to ride that cart ever since I read about it and it doesn't matter that there aren't any dragons at the bank anymore. I can't wait. Hooray!"

Scorpius beamed up at his father and did a little skip on the spot before looking back at the boy. The boy waved at him and Scorpius waved back, feeling slightly disappointed that he didn't get to ask the boy his name.

* * *

Al watched the beaming blond boy leave with his father and sighed; It was nice while it lasted. Al had enjoyed it very much. He could hear the boy giggling the entire time that he was playing with him.

He wished he could've talked with the boy instead of playing with him but his mum told him not to wander off and he didn't want to disappoint her.

He would rather be with his mum and Teddy at Gringotts instead of Quality Quidditch Supplies with his dad, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, James, Lily, Rose and Hugo celebrating the Chuddley Cannons recent win.

The endless Quidditch talk was starting to grate on him and if he had to watch his Uncle Ron dancing again, he would probably die of embarrassment on his behalf.

But Gringotts was an interesting place and Al had enjoyed playing with the beaming blonde boy whose sheer joy was infectious even at a distance.

The Goblin at the door might have given him a suspicious look, but his mum ushered him in with the promise that Al wasn't here to rob the place.

He had the feeling that there was something more to the story that Uncle Ron had told them and tried to ask his mum about it, but she was in a rush and Al had to keep quiet.

"Right, that's that then," Ginny said after finishing with the Goblin. "Come on, Al. Let's go meet up with dad, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione."

"Thanks for helping me understand all of this, Ginny," Teddy said, putting three leaflets carefully into his pocket as they left the bank. "It sounded very complicated."

"No trouble at all, Ted," Ginny said, patting Teddy on the arm. "Bill's better at explaining to you the finer details but it's all there in the leaflets."

"You're going to get a bank vault soon, Teddy?" Al asked, walking beside his Godbrother as they made their way down the street.

"Yeah, I can't believe it myself, Al," Teddy chuckled. "I'm soon going to be old enough to manage my own money. I remember it as if it were yesterday when your dad took me to Diagon Alley to get me my first books for Hogwarts."

"Do you have to put gold in your vault, though?" Al asked, kicking at a pebble. "You could put other stuff in there as well."

"Anything you have in mind?" Teddy asked slowly.

"Yeah, sweets," Al said. "James keeps eating them all."

"James will eat anything if it's coated in sugar," Teddy snorted. "You've just got to find a better hiding place."

"But he always finds them wherever I hide them," Al muttered, taking his frustrations out on another pebble.

"You've been well behaved today, Al," Ginny said, ruffling his hair gently. "I would've thought you would've found Gringotts boring."

"Not really," Al said, thinking of the beaming blond boy he had met in there and smiling. "It was quite interesting, actually. Why did you say to the Goblin at the door that I wasn't here to rob the place?"

Ginny seemed lost for words and Teddy caught her eye and turned away quickly, trying not to laugh.

"Well, love," Ginny said slowly. "I don't think I'll be able to explain it in the street."

"Because your dad _did_ rob the place," Teddy said and Al stared at his godbrother.

"What do you mean?" Al asked, frowning.

"It's a long story, Al," Ginny said hastily. "You might want to ask your dad, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione about it."

"And watch them squirm," Teddy muttered. "Anyway, shouldn't we get some lunch? Al can ask them when we're eating."

"Could I get an ice cream?" Al asked suddenly, still thinking of the beaming blond boy.

"Of course you can," Ginny said, ruffling Al's hair again. "And because you've been so good for me, you can have an extra scoop."

"Really?" Al asked and Ginny leaned forward.

"But don't tell James," she whispered.

" _Never_ ," Al grinned and Ginny winked before ruffling Al's hair again.

As they walked down the crowded streets of Diagon Alley, Al spotted the beaming blonde boy from Gringotts sitting in an ice cream shop between his parents and eating a large ice cream with sprinkles, sauce, a big cherry on the top and a large wafer.

He was still wearing that big smile and Al caught the boy's eye and waved at him before moving on.


End file.
